Government Ch. 13 and 14 test – Flashcards
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ceremonial head of government
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chief of state
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enforces the law
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chief executive
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directs administration of 2.7 million civilian employees
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chief administrator
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leader of armed forces
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commander-in-chief
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leader of foreign policy
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chief diplomat
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signs bills into law/veto power
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chief legislator
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leader of political party
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chief of party
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moral leader
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chief citizen
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list the 3 constitutional requirements to become president
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1. must be a natural born citizen of the United States 2. must be 35 years of age 3. must be a resident of the United States for 14 years
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In 1951, the - amendment was passed, limited the term of President to - terms and a maximum of - years in the office.
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22nd, 2, 10
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Who determines the president's salary?
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congress
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True or False? Originally, the Constitution did not provide for the succession of the Vice President.
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True
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What does the 25th amendment (section 1) state?
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Vice President succeeding president
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Who is the next in line of succession after the Vice President?
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speaker of the house
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Who determines the order of succession after the Vice President/
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congress
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Sections 3 and 4 of the 25th amendment fill the disability gap. Explain
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approved by president or by vice president with other members of congress; hand written requests
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Explain John Adams' statement, "I am vice president. In this I am nothing, but I may be everything."
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Doesn't have a big job but could become president at any moment
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What are the 2 constitutional duties of the vice president?
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1. preside over the senate 2. to help decide the question of presidential disability
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Who added the last cabinet post?
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President Bush
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What brings more votes to a party?
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"balance the ticket"
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What is the original intent of the electoral college?
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meant to safeguard against the uninformed voter
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What was the early flaw of the electoral college? what fixed the flaw?
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that the president and vice president were from two different parties, 12th amendment
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How many times in history were electoral votes for a state different than the popular vote?
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4
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How many electoral votes have to be won for a candidate to be nominated?
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270
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How many electoral votes are there all together?
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538
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the number of electors each state has is based on what?
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the number in congress
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No state can have fewer than how many electoral votes?
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3
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When do electors vote?
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December
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Why is it not accurate to say that the number of electoral votes provided for each state is based solely on population?
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because the House is based on population but the Senate is not
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If there is a tie or no majority in electoral votes, who chooses the president? How many times has this happened? and in what years?
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House of Representatives, 2 times, 1820 and 1824
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What are the flaws today of the electoral college?
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1. winner takes all 2. winner of popular vote can lose- making people feel their vote does not count 3. states feel like their vote doesn't matter
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What are the 4 reform plans? Explain each.
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1. direct popular vote: makes more sense- is more democratic, can cause more problems with campaigning 2. District Plan: winner take all of the district, not the entire state (brings it closer to the people, makes it more accurate) 3. Proportional Plan: divided up by percentage 4. National Popular Vote: interstate compacts
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In formal terms, how is the president chosen? in practice?
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according to the provisions of the Constitution; a combination of Constitutional provisions, state and federal laws, and a number of practices born of the nation's political parties
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The Framers were against electing the president in what two ways?
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by Congress or by a direct vote of the people
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people chosen in each state in a manner the state legislature directed, and each state would have as many electors as it has senators and representatives in congress
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presidential electors
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Each states number of electors is based on what?
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how many senators and representatives are in congress
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the votes electors provide for each state
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electoral vote
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In the beginning of electoral voting, how did it work?
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each elector would cast two electoral votes, each for a different candidate, the one with the most electoral votes would become president and the second most votes would become vp
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the group of people (electors) chosen from each state and the District of Columbia to formally select the President and Vice President
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electoral college
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When did flaws in the electoral college begin? when did the system break down altogether?
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1796; 1800
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What happened in the election of 1800?
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each of the 73 Democratic-Republicans who won posts as electors voted for his party's nominees producing a tie for presidency
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The election of 1800 marked the introduction of what three new elements on selecting a president?
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1. party nominations for the presidency and vice presidency 2. nominations of candidates for presidential electors in the states who pledged to vote for their party's presidential ticket 3. automatic casting of the electoral votes in line with those pledges
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When was the 12th amendment added?
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1804
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separated the president and vice president elections
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12th Amendment
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What is the presidential campaign?
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an all-out effort to win the votes of the American people
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the roughly one third of the electorate who have not made up their minds at the start of the campaign and are open to persuasion by either side
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swing voters
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campaign strategy is also driven by what?
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electoral college
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those States in which the outcome is "too close to call" and either candidate could win
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battleground States
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When does the presidential campaign come to an end?
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on election day
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the president cannot be formally elected until who votes?
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the presidential electors
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When we vote in the presidential election who are we casting our vote to?
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presidential electors
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How are the electors chosen? when?
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by popular vote in every state, the Tuesday after the first Monday in November every fourth year
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what are the only two states that do not choose their electors at large?
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Maine and Nebraska
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the date Congress sets for the electors to meet is what?
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the same throughout the United States
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Where do the electors meet when they vote? Where? and who do they vote for ?
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the Monday after the second Wednesday in November; their state capital; one ballot for president and vice president
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What years has no candidate won a majority?
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1800 and 1824
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says that "the Congress may by law provide for the case wherein neither a President elect nor a Vice President elect shall have qualified"
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20th Amendment
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If no person receives a majority of the electoral votes for Vice President who decides?
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Senate
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What are the three major defects in the electoral college?
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1. the winner of the popular vote is not guaranteed the presidency 2. electors are not required to vote in accord with the popular vote 3. any election might have to be decided in the House of Representatives
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when the winning candidate customarily receives all of a State's electoral votes
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winner-take-all feature
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The defect of the winner of the popular vote is not guaranteed presidency is a result from what two factors?
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the winner-take-all feature and the way the electoral votes are distributed among the states
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What are the three serious objections that can be raised regarding election by the House?
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1. the voting in such cases is by states, not by individual members 2. if the representatives from a state were so divided that no candidate was favored by a majority, that state would lose its vote 3. the Constitution requires a majority of the States for election in the House- 26 states
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What are the 4 proposed reforms?
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the district plan, the proportional plan, direct popular election, and the national popular vote plan
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each state would choose its electors must as it chooses its members of Congress, two electors would be chosen from the state at large, and they would be required to cast their electoral votes in line with the popular vote in their state.
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district plan
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What plan do Maine and Nebraska have on voting?
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district plan
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each presidential candidate would receive a share of each State's electoral vote equal to his or here share of that State's popular vote, done in percentages
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proportional plan
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the constitution would have to be amended for what reform plan?
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direct popular election
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would abolish the electoral college system, the voters in all 50 states and the district of Columbia would be given the power to actually choose the president and the vice president
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direct popular election
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a proposal to bring about the direct popular election of the president- and to do so without making any change in the words of the constitution. it would 1. amend state election laws to provide that all of a state's electoral votes are to be awarded to the presidential candidate who wins the national popular vote 2. enter into an interstate compact
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national popular vote plan
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What are the three major strengths of the electoral college?
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1. it is a known process 2. the present system identifies the president-to-be quickly and certainly 3.helps promote the nation's two party system
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What are the 6 selected presidential powers?
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Executive Powers, Judicial Powers, Legislative Powers, Spending Powers, Diplomatic Powers, and Military Powers
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What does the president do under executive powers?
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enforce laws, appoint officials, and issue executive orders
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The cabinet is appointed by who? who approves the cabinet? what is the cabinet's number one factor?
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president; Senate; party
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What does the president do under judicial powers?
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grants a reprieve, enforces federal court decisions, pardons criminals, appoints judges, commutation
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who enforces the laws under judicial powers other than the president
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attorney general
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when do presidents usually pardon criminals
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at the end of their presidency
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when a president appoints a judge who has to approve?
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the senate
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an official pardon for people who have been convicted of political offenses (group)
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amnesty
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to postpone
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reprieve
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to shorten
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commutation
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the military powers of the president correlates with what?
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commander in chief
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what does the president do under military powers?
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commands the armed forces and sends troops abroad
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who has to approve for the president to declare war
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congress
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What are the three facts under the War Powers Resolution
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1. let congress know within 48 hours 2. end within 60 days 3. congress can end combat at any time
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What does the president do under diplomatic powers?
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negotiate treaties, set foreign policy, make executive agreements
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treaties require who's approval? executive agreement?
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senate; does not need approval
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what does the president do under spending powers?
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allocated emergency funds and impounds funds
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What does the president do under legislative powers?
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recommends bills, approves bills, vetoes bills
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a president has to sign a bill within how many days
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10
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veto that dies out
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pocket veto
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only vetoes parts of the bill and is not allowed
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line item veto
